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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. row — to paddle
  3. tube — the underground
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. field — a subject
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. field — farmland
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. row — a line
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. plane — a tool
  19. field — for sport
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. tube — a container
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. tube — in a tire

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com